Exclusive interview with Australian batsman Peter Forrest

This summer, yet another remarkable talent emerged on the batting front for Australia. After moving from New South Wales to Queensland Bulls, Peter Forrest saw a change in his fortunes almost immediately when he received a shock call from the selectors informing him that he had been picked to play in the tri-series against India and Sri Lanka. And Forrest made the opportunity count too: he joined an elite club of players to have scored a century as early as in their fourth international game for their country.

How it all started…

Forrest knew, since the adolescent age of about 12, that he wanted to be a professional cricketer for Australia. Having been an ardent fan of rugby, he used to play both cricket and rugby as a kid. “Basically it was the Rugby League and cricket that I was involved with in the summer, so I had to make a choice whether I wanted to be a rugby player or I wanted to play cricket. So in the end, I ended up picking cricket”, he says.

After trying his hand at being an all-rounder at the beginning, Forrest finally decided at the age of 16 that he wanted to be a batsman, and accordingly shifted his focus purely onto batting. After opening the batting a few times, he settled down a few spots lower, and is now seen as a solid middle-order batsman, just like one of his childhood heroes, Michael Clarke. “I probably had two childhood heroes; I admired Michael Slater. I liked the aggression with which he played; he was very exciting to watch. And then, in a grade/club game when I was about 15, I played against Michael Clarke and he was such a superstar. It’s quite surreal now to get to be playing in the same team with him”, he confesses.

The Big Bash League and tryst with captaincy

As a player, Forrest has always been calm and level-headed, which is perhaps the reason he was handed the role of captaining the Brisbane Heat side in the Big Bash League played late last year. “I wasn’t quite sure initially how to go about captaining the side, but I think in the end, I got the hang of it. So, in future if and when there is a need, I definitely would put my hand up.”

Forrest’s stint with Brisbane Heat also gave him the opportunity to play alongside established international icons. “I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was an amazing experience playing and walking out onto the same field that had greats like Matthew Hayden, Dan Vettori, Brendon McCullum and James Hopes as well. Playing against a lot other fantastic players and some international personalities was very exciting. It was an enjoyable experience and playing with the young guys and a great team was fantastic.”

Forrest was particularly thrilled that he was given the chance to play alongside Hayden, one of the most celebrated legends in the history of cricket. He gushes, “It was a great experience for me. I think personally nobody could have asked for anything better. It was great to have had played with someone who made a comeback to be such a dominant force in the competition. He was always enthusiastic to pass on his vast knowledge onto anybody who asked for it. It was very good, not just for me but for the younger guys as well to see how he trained and played and approached the game – it was a great experience.”

ODI call up, debut and maiden century

The call to play the tri-series against India and Sri Lanka was fair reward for his exploits during the BBL. Recalling his call from the selectors he says, “I needed to wake up actually. I got called very early in the morning; I was actually half-asleep and John Inverarity’s name popped up on my phone. I actually thought he had called me regarding the Prime Minister’s Game, to talk about that. I didn’t even know that the squad was going to be picked that day. It was a massive shock but I was very very excited and I was very happy. I hadn’t expected it.”

Reflecting on his debut against India where he scored 66, he says it was very satisfying. “I was very anxious to begin with, and batting alongside the experience of Ricky Ponting who is a superstar of the game and one of Australia’s greats was fantastic. Then to get to a half century was nice, but to get it against an opposition team like India with superstars on the field like M.S. Dhoni, Sehwag etc. was unbelievable.

“The game was well played, but we didn’t win that game which was unfortunate. I suppose, in my opinion getting to a fifty was nice, but I thought I should’ve gone on and gotten a bigger score and then helped post a big total to defend. But, it was a great start and the Adelaide Oval is a great place to play and is very special to me.

Forrest then went to score the first century of the tri-series in only his 4th international match. “It was nice to play well but to get a hundred was unbelievable”, he says happily. “Once I got to a fifty, I was very conscious of making sure I got the job done for the team and playing right through the innings. (When I got out) I think I had about 10 overs to go, I should’ve gotten a little gritty and tried to play a bit longer. But yeah, it was an amazing experience and one that I’d treasure forever.”

Moving from New South Wales to Queensland Bulls

The changes in Forrest’s fortunes seemed to have been triggered by his move from New South Wales to the Queensland Bulls in the 2011-12 season. His stay with New South Wales didn’t go off as it was planned, so when the opportunity presented itself, he welcomed it with open arms. “Well it’s a struggle to break into the NSW squad as it is such a classic squad consisting of so many good cricketers that sometimes makes it quite hard. I grew up wanting to play first class cricket, and hoping to one day even join the Australian national team, but I found it hard to work towards that goal at New South Wales. I wanted to move to play consistent first class cricket. My ultimate goal was always to play for Australia and I had to make a decision with that in mind. So when Darren Lehman offered me a position at Queensland, I was more than happy and jumped at the opportunity.”

His inclusion in the ODI squad after a fruitful season with Queensland is, to some extent, validation of his transfer to Queensland. Forrest recommends that if an opportunity that offers you scope to improve your game comes your way, you should not hesitate to take that opportunity, even if it means switching your team. He also believes it is always a positive for players to know that they are being rewarded for their performances. “At the time of movement, you move out of your comfort zone and put yourself on the line. I felt I was good enough to play one day cricket and T20 cricket, and perform consistently and play all forms of the game for my new State. So having made the move, I suppose I wanted to prove it to myself and others that I was good enough to do it. Getting picked in the ODIs was a bit of a surprise, but of course I love it now – it feels like my efforts have been vindicated. So far it’s been fantastic; I’m enjoying it a lot.”

The pressure and experience of playing international cricket

When asked if all the chatter about him replacing Ricky Ponting in the ODI squad added extra pressure onto him, he says there is pressure every single time that someone plays for Australia, irrespective of who they’re replacing, so this particular matter put no extra pressure on him. “I think the media might beat that up that a little bit that I’m replacing a great like Ricky Ponting in the one day team but, I don’t think it has added any extra pressure. I just try and play my way and if that’s good enough to stay in the team and contribute towards Australia winning games, then, happy days. I try to think of it, I suppose, as not only competing against other people but what you can become, and contributing to the Australian team, and not be a selfish cricketer and if you get picked and make the side better then that’s how that goes. In a team that has so many great players, that’s the best way to go about it.”

On the subject of differences between international cricket and domestic cricket in terms of strategy, quality etc. Forrest believes that there is considerably greater pressure in the international arena. “I reckon it is doing the basics for longer and the doing the basics consistently under pressure in international cricket, that’s what I have found so far. To play international cricket, you have to play under pressure with extra patience, and try and perform every single time for your country. Besides the challenge on a big stage factor, it probably is the added pressure that makes it a little bit harder.”

Forrest’s heroes, goals and vision for the future

Forrest has plenty of people to take inspiration from as he finds his way in international cricket. “Among all contemporary batsmen, I would like to emulate David Warner. He’s the one guy who has come through the junior cricket and T20s and ODI and has now made it all the way to Test cricket, by using his freakish skills; I mean he’s such a hard worker and he can bat and bowl right-handed and left-handed and can hit the ball so unbelievably well – I enjoy watching him – he’s one guy who can hit the ball so far, so consistently. He’s got such natural talent. So he’s the player that, at the moment, I look up to. Another player would be Mike Hussey. The energy and passion he brings to the field is incredible, apart from being extremely hard working. His competitiveness and quest for excellence are second to none. There is so much to learn from him.”

As the talk veers to looking forward, Forrest quips that he would like to be a regular member of the Australian team in all forms of the game. “In 5 years, hopefully I’ll still be playing international cricket, and very successfully at that. I’d like to cement a regular spot in the Test team for Australia and if I manage to do that for a long time, I’ll be happy. Hopefully in 5 years’ time, Australia will be the No.1 team is Tests, ODIs and T20s.”

Forrest has tasted plenty of success early in his career, which is why it would be fascinating to see how he goes about his quest to help Australia reach the place that he envisions.